Despite the proliferation of the death penalty for many new offences, less than half the people condemned to death were executed.

If the case against them holds up, they are likely to become the next cause célèbre in the national debate over executing people who are sentenced to death while juveniles.

Six hundred years to the day since he was executed for high treason, descendants of Archbishop Richard Scrope arrived from across the globe for a service at the city's cathedral to commemorate his life.